A few days ago, when I was going gym in the morning I noticed an advertisement on the street. The slogan of the advertisement is "Men become crazy" and it features the notorious Christian Pastor 林以諾. Since I was really young, even considered myself as a liberal Christian, I have been feeling disgusted because he has made the Good News so cheap by presenting the Good News with stand up comedy. However, as the Bible has clearly stated, as servants, even we found someone behave problematically, it is God's reign to make judgement. As a result, I believe, optimistically, which as someone who should have a very close relationship with God, he must have received a message from God that allowed him to the Good News with a sense of humor. But at the moment I saw the advertisement, I could not help but wonder, to my understanding, most people who both hold the titles like Professor, Reverend or Doctor tend to call themselves Reverend someone someone rather than Professor or Doctor, even in most of his talk shops, has been calling himself Reverend 林以諾 rather than Doctor 林以諾, so why such a change?
The logical guess is, he has been awarded a doctorate degree from a university, thus he believes that it is appropriate to call himself Dr. 林以諾 rather than Rev. 林以諾. But as Christian, we should have question, is being a Dr. better than being a Rev.? At the very beginning, it is reasonable to ask, "Why make such a fuss on how he calls himself? If he is eligible to call himself either Dr. 林以諾 or Rev. 林以諾, it is his freedom of choice to call himself whatever he desires." My answer is Yes, we can careless about a lot of thing but as Christians, if we believe we are followers of Jesus Christ, we cannot justify our behavior with common sense or ideologies like freedom of oneself, we have to reconsider what does it mean for behaving in different manners.
I believe, though it is just again a rational guess, since 林以諾's target audiences are non-believers, telling another as a Dr. compare to Rev enjoys the benefits like, firstly, it is a neutral academic approval that most people recognize; secondly, in contemporary HK, he might have avoided being stereotype as a "moral conventionalist" who just speaks boring religious dogmas. In the very beginning, I comment 林以諾 as notorious simply because, as most scholars believe, he has slide and encroach by secularizations, he has been thinking what people need rather than what God desires. I believe, changing his title is another good example that how Rev. 林以諾 has tried his best to please the world rather than pleasing God. It is without a question he is doing something for God (at least this is what I wish he has been doing.); nevertheless, it appears to me, it is just a lack of faith to God. Protestant Christian, as I would say, care too much about how the world interpret us. Undoubtedly, as Dr. Kung always says, Christian is located in the public sphere that She has to dialogue with other parties; however, it does not necessary mean we have to give up our fragments, the properties that make us unique.
It may be the case that preaching will be more effective by replacing Rev with Dr; but what we as Christians have to think really through is that: is preaching and letting more people believe in God through our efforts really what God would like us to do? Towards the question, different denominations do have their own perspective, I, after 2 years in CUHK, consider myself rather as a traditional Protestant, would have to say, it sucks big to be so lack of faith. One last thing, maybe it is God who wants Rev. 林以諾 to change his title, I am not God, I do not know. What is important here is that: unless you have a reason (from God) to follow the world, it is more reasonable not to. Being liberal, especially in a society that being deeply influenced by Enlightened thoughts, is easy; nevertheless, if we do not hold the notion and doctrines as dear. What make us different from a sales who is selling Good News to the mass?
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